Answering Melody
by SpaghettiTacos
Summary: "It's not mine." Derek says through gritted teeth. "That's what kids say when their parents find their stash."


**Title:** Answering Melody  
**Summary:** "It's not mine." Derek says through gritted teeth. "That's what kids say when their parents find their stash."  
**Rating:** K  
**Couple:**Sterek [Pre-Established]

**A/N:** This is for luvsbitca, because she wrote a beautiful one fore me. I don't think I quite measure up but a girl can try. I recieve no profit from this other then the feelings I receive when people review.

* * *

_**Answering Melody**  
_

_"Here I am, Once again_  
_I've put back all the pieces_  
_Don't deny it, won't pretend_  
_Who'd have thought you were the one._  
_There's a glow here, deep inside_  
_There's no more tears that hide,_  
_Behind these hazel eyes."_

* * *

"Stiles."

"Wouldn't have pegged you for a Kelly Clarkson type of person." Stiles says in reply.

The teen looks up from the leather bound journal, taking in the sight of the man at the door. Derek's face looks torn between horror and fury. Stiles would laugh if it wasn't his neck the wolf wanted to tear at. He'd found the journal while attempting to straighten Derek's cave. Which was the only thing you could call the space with Derek's bed; Dark, windows were blacked out with a thick blanket, and clothes strewn over the scarred wooden floor. His bed, though Stiles used this term lightly, was more of a nest of blankets a top a thin queen mattress on the floor in the very corner of the room. A six-drawer dresser which had most likely been beautiful stood singed next to a closet with a broken folding door.

"It's not mine." Derek says through gritted teeth.

"That's what kids say when their parents find their stash, Sourwolf. You can't fool me." Stiles says, trying to leaven the sudden tension filling his nice, almost clean, space.

"Stiles. It's not. _Mine_." Derek says slowly, hands visibly shaking, eyes red.

"Oh okay. _"It's not yours"_. But this is some serious reply to Kelly's lyrics." Stiles pushes on, looking down at the page again. "I mean, who is this about?"

"I never got to ask." Derek replies, voice laced in emotion.

Stiles' head snaps up. The teen actually focuses now. One of the perks of dating Derek was being able to actually understand his expressions now; From "I'm going to beat you" to "Just get in my bed". This expression, however, only came when they spoke about Laura or really any of the fallen Hales. Stiles looked back down, stomach dropping. He had figured the book dated before the fire but now he saw that even the pen was faded, smudges from continuous flipping, the bottom right hand of the book had been burned away. Taking with it what looked to be the Poets signatures. Faded cursive D's in all kinds of fashions, like the author hadn't quite found theirs yet. He'd assumed it was Derek because he hadn't heard of another D-named Hale.

"So..." Stiles says, ears red. "Who's was it?"

"Dani's." Derek whispers, moving slowly across the room. His hands had stilled, his eyes green again but red in another way.

"Dani?" Stiles asks, tilting his head up at his boyfriend.

"My cousin." Derek clarifies, sitting next to Stiles and gently removing the book from his hands.

"Cool." Stiles watches Derek for minute. The wolf staring blankly at the page, before running his fingers over the words.

"She wanted to be a writer." Derek tells him, folding the book closed and winding the strap back around to tie it. "I bought this from that used book store just out of town. There were already a couple poems in it from the previous owner. Store manager said that when they donated it they asked that whoever bought it keep them in. Dani loved them, never let anyone else read them."

"But she read them to you." Stiles guesses, enjoying the unusual amount of words. Even with this subject matter.

"They were written the same as _"Hazel Eyes"_. Replies to songs. Happy, sad, angry. She decided to follow that style." Derek looks up at Stiles, staring into the honey-gold orbs for a time.

"The book mark was stuck on that one." Stiles says, cheeks darkening again.

"Yes." Derek says.

"Did you ever read the back of the page?" Stiles asks. Derek notes his scent changing, growing uncomfortable.

"Stiles? What is it?" Derek asks, eyebrows raising.

"Here," Stiles says, taking the book back from his Alpha and unwinding the leather thong. He opened the book gently, noting the value in it more then he had when he found it earlier under the pile of clothes in the closet, and opened to the black ribbon marked page. He turned it over, it came apart more easily because he'd already read this, and placed the book back in Derek's hands.

_"Because he smiles more..."_  
04/12/05

Was penned into the back a quick sketch of the Man in the Moon underneath. Derek had stopped breathing, staring wide eyed at the words. Stiles sat there quietly; fidgeting but it couldn't be helped. He slowly got restless and was up again skittering about the room finishing his previous set task of arranging Derek's clean shirts. He kept glancing at the man, making sure he didn't pass out or jump out the window.

"Breathe, please." Stiles says in a small voice, sat on the floor folding dark wash jeans with an uncharacteristic frown.

The wolf took an exaggerated breath and glanced up at Stiles before walking from the room leaving the book in his bed. Stiles sighed, put the pants away and then closed up Dani Hale's journal.

He elected to put it in the wooden box on Derek's closet shelf, it had the Hale crest carved in the lid and a rusted gold latch. It was empty but wide enough to set the book in flat.

Closing the door, Stiles wandered down to find Derek terrorizing one of the pack punching bags in the basement. They'd all had the word Argent spray-painted on by Erica as a joke. Stiles hadn't been nearly as amused as Derek. Which was odd for the couple.

"Derek."

"Just let it be, Stiles." Derek ground out.

"When do I ever listen to you?" Stiles snarked.

Derek sighed and turned to the human. "It was written on the day of the fire, Stiles."

"I know that." Stiles nods and grins, walking to his man and wrapping his arms around his waist. "I've read your police file."

Derek huffs out a laugh, winding his arms around the boy.

"Why haven't you been arrested?"

"I got people on the inside." Stiles says with a solemn nod.

He smiles shortly and tucks his head under Derek's chin. He'd grown out his hair so Derek had to turn his face and rest his cheek there to avoid inhaling the brown locks. The wolf sighed again and closed his eyes, letting his mates scent wrap around him.

"You don't smile for me." Stiles grumbles.

Derek shakes with laughter, causing Stiles to laugh. The pack would find them later, sitting in the corner on the floor; Stiles writing out the wrong lyrics to a song Derek is humming.

* * *

**A/N: **I got a beautiful journal for Christmas and thought of Derek, and Stiles, and was listening to old favorites and just.. URG.

"Behind These Hazel Eyes" - Kelly Clarkson  
"Reply" - Me.

I checked and the song came out before the date I used. Date in question was pulled out of thin air. I don't remember if they ever say when the fire happened.


End file.
